Ricardo Lamas vs. Diego Sanchez
The fight was the featherweight debut of Diego Sanchez. The first round began and they touch gloves. Lamas lands an inside kick. Lamas lands an inside kick. 4:00. Lamas lands a right to the body. Sanchez blocks his fourth or fifth high kick so far. Lamas lands a jab slipping a right hook easily. Sanchez lands a blocked body kick. Lamas lands a crisp right to the body, Sanchez lands a clipping counter left. Sanchez lands an iffy right hook to the body. 3:00. Lamas tries a flying knee. Sanchez presses forward, lands a right hook, blocks a spinning wheel kick, Lamas lands a right and another. And a hard body kick. Lamas lands a right uppercut. Sidekicks the body. "Keep those hands up Diego!" Lamas lands a nice jab. Diego lands a hard body kick. Lamas tries another wheel kick. 2:00. Lamas lands a nice jab. Another. Gets a double. Gets the back as Diego stands. Knees to the legs. One hook as he drags him down. Loses it, Diego stands. Knees to the legs. More. "Where's those elbows?" 1:00. More knees. Lamas trips the leg out. 35. One hook. Diego turns out and stands to the clinch working a double. 15. Diego breaks with a left elbow and right elbow, R1 ends, 10-9 Lamas pretty clearly. "God-damn," Diego says aloud. R2 began and they touch gloves. Lamas lands an inside kick. And a jab. Lamas feints the wheel kick. Diego lands a nice left. Lamas lands a high kick, tries a nicely timed double. Diego sprawls. Five or six right elbows under from him, stuffs a single. Clinch. Diego knees the body twice. Lamas is cut. 4:00. Cut on the right side. Diego defending another single. Lamas persisting. Diego knees the body. Again. Another. Breaks away. Lamas drops him with a hard inside kick, Diego's limping. Left uppercut from Lamas, 3:00. A hard inside kick and a left and a right. Big right uppercut and a left, big inside kick and a left hook. Lamas lands a right and an inside kick. Sanchez beckons him in, eats a right. Lamas shoots a double. Gets it. Lamas knees the legs as he gets the back. More. 2:00. More knees as Diego then hits a big switch. Trying to turn on top. He does to guard. Lamas reverses and gets the back, knees to legs. More. Diego tries another switch but fails. Tries another, turns on top to side control. 1:00. Lamas turning and reversing. Odd stalemate. 35. Crazy scramble, Lamas takes the back beautifully, both hooks. Diego escapes, knees the body and stands breaking with a right. 15. Lamas inside kick and a left hook. Lamas jab. R2 ends, 10-9 Lamas. "Aw it's just a bruised knee," Greg Jackson tells Diego calmly. "He's gonna come out looking for this. *pats leg* I need you to check it and blast him. Four or five punches, blast him. Fedor it. Check him and blast him, every time." R3 began and they touch gloves. Sanchez blocks a high kick. Diego lands a left and a right uppercut. Lamas lands an inside kick. 4:00. Diego hard knee to the head. Lamas leg kick. Lamas tries a wheel kick. Diego misses a flying knee. Lamas drops him with an inside kick. Diego limping, eats a left uppercut and a leg kick. Lamas left uppercut. Diego beckons him in, eats a jab, beckons him in, more. Lamas inside kick. Diego beckons him in. Lamas nods, tries, eats a short left uppercut, clinch. 3:00. Crowd chants Diego. Lamas works a double. Switches to a single, eats a right elbow. Another. Lamas breaks with a spinning elbow, cuts the right eye. Lands an inside kick. Tries another spinning elbow, blocks a flying knee after standing, 2:00. Lamas leg kick. Lamas jab. Lamas inside kick. Diego lands a left and a right hook. Lamas high kick. Right uppercut. 1:00. Diego blocks a high kick. Lamas lands a jab, eats a left hook. 30. Diego tries a sloppy wheel kick himself. Lamas tries a flying knee. Misses a wheel kick. 15. Lamas inside kick, eats a right hook. Diego limping. Diego right hook, clinch. Lamas knees the body. R3 ends, 10-9 Lamas, 30-27 Lamas. They hug.